Baseball darkest moments?

[Ilmago]

What was baseball's darkest moment? I'm not talking about something that happened over time, like the color line. I'm thinking in real time here: At what exact moment did baseball experience its darkest hour?

Here's a few I can think of:

* Hugh Fullerton's first story about the 1919 fix hitting the press.

* Bart Giamatti's press conference about Pete Rose's gambling.

* The cancelling of the 1994 season

* The death of Ray Chapman or Roberto Clemente (Thurman Munson?)

* The announcement of the Pittsburgh drug trials in 1985

* Announcement of collusion damages in 1988 (and beyond)

*Cap Anson's refusal to play a team with blacks sure didn't help

Any others that come to mind? What was baseball's darkest moment?

 

[Moderator1]

I'm extremely biased of course. But here's my winner:

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I'd put the ongoing steroid scandal as the darkest time in baseball. Basically, nothing that's happened the last 20 years should count.

 

[BTExpress]

I'd put the ongoing steroid scandal as the darkest time in baseball. Basically, nothing that's happened the last 20 years should count.

Babe Ruth never had to face a black pitcher.

But Barry Bonds' home runs "shouldn't count"?

Ohhhhhhkayyyyyyy.

Steroid years were just an "era", every bit as unfortunately legitimate as a dead-ball era, a spitters-are-legal era, a throwing-games era, a rabbit-ball era and a no-blacks-in-baseball era.

 

[Ilmago]

So you compare Babe Ruth not facing Black Pitchers to Barry Bonds taking steroids? Wow!

Just because George didn't face Black pitchers, doesn't mean that he couldn't hit them. If I do some research, I can find some stats of Ruth facing black pitchers, and they were pretty good numbers.

 

[Joe Williams]

As for those great black pitchers relegated to the Negro League, keep in mind: They didn't have to face Babe Ruth, either.

Me included.

 

[Joe Williams]

Wasn't there a catcher who killed himself during a season? Willard Hershberger, I believe his name was, and it had something to do with letting down his teammates or something.

I think the 1919 Black Sox rates pretty high on this list.

 

[Ilmago]

As for those great black pitchers relegated to the Negro League, keep in mind: They didn't have to face Babe Ruth, either.

Me included.

Well said, but it wasn't only Babe Ruth, it was Speaker, Gehrig, Cobb, Foxx, Hornsby, Wagner, Collins and that's just to mention a few.

 

[Ilmago]

Wasn't there a catcher who killed himself during a season? Willard Hershberger, I believe his name was, and it had something to do with letting down his teammates or something.

I think the 1919 Black Sox rates pretty high on this list.

Yeah, Willard commited suicide, he slashed his throat.

 

[imjustagirl]

1. Nick Punto getting thrown out at third against the Yankees in the 2009 ALDS.
2. Nick Punto going on the DL like three times this season.
3. Nick Punto riding the bench after coming off the DL.
4. Nick Punto playing in the AL and not coming to Atlanta.
5. All-Star Game tie.
6. Black Sox.

 

[LongTimeListener]

All of it is baseball's darkest moment until there's a salary cap. [/outofplace]

 

[DanOregon]

They cancelled a World freaking Series, something they didn't do during World War I, World War II or even when an earthquake shook the region where all of the games were being played. Something they played (in New York) after 9/11. And yet, they cancelled it due to a labor problem.

 

[NoOneLikesUs]

Tim Crews and Steve Olin on Little Lake Nellie. That was pretty damn bleak.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Wasn't there a catcher who killed himself during a season? Willard Hershberger, I believe his name was, and it had something to do with letting down his teammates or something.

I think the 1919 Black Sox rates pretty high on this list.

Yeah, Willard commited suicide, he slashed his throat.

William Nack wrote a tremendous story in SI on the Hershberger suicide in 1991:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1140724/index.htm

I'd say darkest moments were as follows (just as my opinion):

1. Black Sox Scandal

2. 1994 work stoppage

3. Ray Chapman death

4. Ben Chapman and the Phillies shouting the most vile insults to Jackie Robinson

5. Steroid hearing in Washington with McGwire, Sosa, Palmeiro.

6. For fans of one NYC borough, the Dodgers leaving for LA.

 

[Shaggy]

1989 in general was a pretty dark year.

1. Pete Rose scandal was front page all summer long
2. Giamatti's press conference banning Rose from baseball
3. Giamatti dying 10 days later
4. 1989 World Series being postponed two weeks by the earthquake.

 

[imjustagirl]

I forgot one. I'd like to add it as no. 2.

Brook Jacoby getting traded to the A's when that was the only team the Indians had finished their season series with.

 

[outofplace]

I'd put the ongoing steroid scandal as the darkest time in baseball. Basically, nothing that's happened the last 20 years should count.

Utterly ridiculous.

 

[JC]

So you compare Babe Ruth not facing Black Pitchers to Barry Bonds taking steroids? Wow!

Just because George didn't face Black pitchers, doesn't mean that he couldn't hit them. If I do some research, I can find some stats of Ruth facing black pitchers, and they were pretty good numbers.

It's actually worse, take black and latino players out of todays game.

 

[Double J]

Here's a different kind of dark moment in baseball - February 23, 1960.

"There Used To Be a Ballpark."

This particular ballpark was the home of the 1955 world champions - but the team left two years later and the stadium was gone less than three years after that. How does such a thing even happen?? Rhetorical question - I know the story.

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

Collusion doesn't even make the list, per the OP.